Aftermath
by Lady Alila
Summary: The big bash at her apartment is over and Shepard finds herself reflecting on it in the early morning hours, as well as on the attempted conspiracy against her and her crew. Garrus doesn't leave her to reflect on her own for long. -Heavy spoilers for the Citadel DLC. Shakarian. T for suggestive themes-


A/N: Greetings, fellow fanfiction enthusiasts! Thought I'd do something for the Citadel DLC (and hopefully this will also get my creative juices flowing again for my other stories), which was amazing in so many ways. It provided for many squee-worthy moments, totally-called it moments, "holy crap, my mind is blown away!" moments, constant laughter at so-many great lines, and many tears at its finish. It was a damn good ride, indeed, as Garrus would say. The DLC was a great way to say good-bye to an amazing franchise, which touched me in a way not many others have, especially with the Shakarian romance. I will truly miss playing through new adventures with Shepard and her crew.

With that said, hope you enjoy!

* * *

Shepard couldn't remember having this much fun in one night in a long time. The party she hosted for her friends had been a colossal success, with no one trying to tear each apart at the end of it. And at least for now, she wouldn't have to look into making any new costly purchases to replace trashed furniture. She even got Glyph to take a group photo to mark the evening.

A win-win.

The party had gone from quiet to raucous, even more raucous, kind of quiet, raucous again, and then finally seemed to really quiet down. It had been an evening of boisterous laughter, people forgetting or settling their differences (never thought she'd see the day when Jack and Miranda willingly _talked _to each other without trying to harm each other), dancing and people poking fun (even Garrus, the traitor; some mate!) at her dancing, lost credits (mostly on James's part), and alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol (which even Javik partook in, doing wonders to his personality, even if just slightly).

And Kasumi randomly nosing through one of Shepard's dressers and her underwear, which Kasumi said she did to everyone. Shepard still wasn't sure how to take that.

What she definitely felt really good about was having everyone there, from the SR-1 and SR-2. Together. Well, almost everyone. Regret swelled inside her at the thought of Kaidan, Mordin, Thane and Legion not being there. This was just as much of a celebration for them as it was for everyone else.

Shepard shut the door behind her, beginning to unbutton her blouse. It would feel good to get into bed (not that she hadn't eyed that hot-tub). Everyone else was pretty much following suit, though some were more coherent than others and didn't try to pass out on a bathroom floor like a certain quarian friend of hers. She had gotten a little bit of food and a lot of water into Tali's system, then helped Tali into a bedroom on the top floor and pulled Grunt out of that shower he had fallen asleep in to get him to one of the couches. Even now, she still felt an instinctual need to look out for her crew, her friends.

Shepard wiggled her pants over her hips, folding the clothes on the bathroom counter-top and going through her nightly routine before lifting the covers and climbing into bed. She was feeling buzzed, but not unpleasantly. The volume of the music from downstairs had lowered, but Shepard still felt soothed by the faint pulse she heard coming through the floor. She left the light on, knowing Garrus would not be too far behind her. Probably continuing to scope out any security weaknesses in the apartment.

She had begun to question his sanity when he had mentioned rigging the glass fixture by the front door with explosives; she didn't even want to try to go into it when he then mentioned the rigging the kitchen. Knowing her, she'd be more likely to accidentally trip an alarm than an intruder.

That changed the moment she heard him say her name in that baritone of his, dual-flang trembling with tenderness and a hint of a desperate plea. When he called her "sweetie" and the "love of his life," things he had never called her until this party (maybe the alcohol had given him the courage to). When he told her, "I need to be sure you're safe."

The great and fearsome Commander Jane Shepard would have buckled at the knees and melted into a puddle on the spot if she hadn't had more self-control (and if Zaeed hadn't been listening in). She had never had anyone love her (beyond her deceased parents) so unconditionally, who constantly wanted to ensure nothing happened to her. She liked it. No, _loved_ it. And the turian who offered it.

Garrus had said the people at the Silver Coast casino had given him looks when they showed up with Brooks, with Shepard's arm looped through Garrus's, wondering how a turian like that could possibly get a girl like her. Shepard truly believed it was quite the opposite. He never did give himself enough credit. With that voice of his alone…

Shepard's head pressed deeper into the pillow, curling her fingers on the edge of the duvet. She couldn't blame him for being so worried about her. It wasn't every day you fought an exact replica of yourself.

Shepard had tried not to think about it, losing herself in the distractions and pleasures of meeting up with old friends and hanging out with them, but now in the quieter hours of the early morning, she found herself thinking back to that damn clone. How could the Illusive Man not tell her about this during their brief partnership? It would have been nice to know a clone of her had been made that could come to life one day and wreak havoc. She was beyond thankful Brooks had only awoken her clone six months ago. The damage she could have done otherwise…

"Jane?" She turned to face Garrus entering and locking the door behind him. "You ok?"

"Hey, big guy," she greeted, trying to change the subject quickly before he could latch onto it. He was always too perceptive in regards to her and her emotional state. "Done staking out the apartment? Please don't tell me you actually set anything up." She would have a hard time explaining in the morning to anyone unfortunate enough to stumble upon one of the traps, if it didn't maim them badly enough in the process.

"No, not yet. Too busy trying to avoid James and Ash getting too cozy with each other. And Joker and EDI."

"Poor thing. Have you been traumatized?"

"I wasn't going to stick around long enough to find out." He started unlatching the buckles of his armor, not wasting much time to get into bed as she had. Whether they blew off steam or not, she suspected it was more about just getting to hold her, feeling her soft curves against his hard angles that they had made work.

"This was fun, though. Glad Joker convinced me to do this," Shepard admitted. She turned on her side to face Garrus again, who had traveled to the other side of the room to place his armor there. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Hackett extended shore leave for another day in light of what happened. Thought we'd kick everyone out tomorrow morning and stay here for the rest of the day and night. Just you and me."

Garrus sent her a large grin that revealed his razor-sharp teeth, yet lacked any predatory nature, his eyes lighting up eagerly at the idea as he started in on the lower armor. "Just you and me, huh? I like the sound of that."

"Thought you would."

He had stripped down to his under-suit now, shooting her another grin as he went into the bathroom.

"A Jacuzzi? This place does have everything," Garrus called to her over the running water of the sink faucet.

"Don't worry, it's on my list of things for us to do."

_Along with more role-play_.

Shepard gave him a moment of privacy to finish up, but this unfortunately led her back to thoughts about her clone, her willingly falling to her death once it was clear she was finished. Should Shepard have even offered to save her clone's life? It wasn't like her clone could live a completely normal life. Maybe it had been a mercy to die rather than trying to be something other than Commander Shepard.

"You sure you're ok, Jane?" Garrus had stepped out of the bathroom, only dressed in what could only be described as black pajama pants. "You still look a little troubled. Wrex and Grunt didn't break any of the fancy furniture or vid screens and no one threw up on the floor or the sofas, so it can't be that. Not that you wouldn't be able to afford replacing or cleaning them, with your salary."

"It's nothing." Shepard didn't want to get into it tonight, not when everything had been so perfect, so care-free, but by the firm look on Garrus's face, he clearly had other ideas.

At least he waited to begin the interrogation until he turned off the lights, climbed into bed beside her, and securely wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up beside him so she was practically sprawled on his lap.

"Tell me," he gently commanded, running his talons through her auburn strands. He could never resist an opportunity to touch her hair.

Shepard finally gave into the piercing cobalt eyes urging her to let him help her. "Just thinking about my clone."

"If you're worried about whether she was better looking and me falling for her, I can safely say you'd be wrong on that account. Your beauty is an added bonus. She was definitely too much of a hard-ass. But…" he trailed off, brow raising and mandibles spreading in a satisfied grin, like he knew what he was about to say would get under her skin (in a good way), "she did nail your phrases down to the…what is it you humans say? Tee?"

Shepard sent him a glare that lacked any heat. "That supposed to win a girl's heart?" she asked him, the same tone from before during their time at the bar of the casino, when harmless role-play had turned into a roped-into, full-blown tango. She couldn't ever remember a time she felt so hot and bothered and desperately wanting to drag Garrus back to her apartment and have her way with him, but she had had other people to meet with.

"Lucky for me, I've already won it." He placed a quick kiss to her lips, leaving her no time to properly respond to it. "Seriously, though, what's bothering you about the clone? Besides her almost tossing out your space hamster?"

"Hey, no one touches Boo. Or the model ships." She didn't have many lines drawn in the sand. Messing with Garrus and her friends and touching her stuff were two of them.

"So besides that?" Garrus pressed her.

Shepard wasn't even sure she could pinpoint it. Maybe the thought of someone out there using her name, posing as her, destroying the reputation as a paragon it had taken her years to construct. But that wasn't it. At least, not entirely.

"Before she fell off that edge, she asked why me and not her? What was it about me that she could never dream of having? What made me special over her?" she recalled, trying to sort out the emotions stirring within her. "And when you and Wrex came to rescue me, didn't even hesitate to help, and Brooks didn't even try to save her, that's when I knew. She knew.

"It just...brought everything into focus. My talents, my field experience, only get me so far. It's really the people around me who strengthen me. My friends." Shepard paused, laying a trembling hand over where Garrus's heart would be, the pulse underneath her hand warming her. "You."

Garrus's hand found its way back up to where hers lay on his chest, raising it to his mouth and planting a kiss on her knuckles before lowering it back in place.

"You heard her, what she called you all. Emotional baggage, a hindrance to my full potential." She bit her lip, playing with it between her teeth. "Maybe that's true. I don't know. If it meant becoming some kind of super soldier, becoming something greater, would I take it, even if it meant giving up everything that means something to me?"

She should have stopped. She admitted too much. On a night where they were supposed to forget all about the troubles they had gone through, everything they still had to face.

Garrus didn't wait for a response, instead pressing her closer to him and nuzzling her forehead. She nuzzled back too, the best way she could.

"You'll never have to make that type of decision. And even if you did, you wouldn't take it." Her heart almost burst in her chest at the sight of such burning devotion in his beautiful blue-grey eyes. "Because you don't just see mission objectives. You see the people. All people, no matter their race. You have a warm heart and genuinely care about the welfare of others, even those resistant to help, and always put them before yourself." His voice lowered, a warm burr reverberating in his tone. "That's something that no clone of yours could even hope to copy. That's one of the things I fell for in you."

"Anyone ever tell you you're such a charmer?" Shepard murmured, feeling floored again for the third time that night. She had tried to think of something wittier, but her brain wasn't really functioning at the moment. "You really how to make a girl feel special, Garrus."

"Only cause it's the truth, love of my life."

She steadied herself with one hand on his shoulder at the endearment, feeling her blood pump into overdrive and pool down in her lower belly. "Call me that again and I might just forget about making you pay for dragging me into that tango earlier."

"Promises, promises." Garrus gave a light chuckle, moving to nibble along her earshell and trail a path of kisses down her neck to her collarbone. "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it."

Maybe secretly she enjoyed seeing him be so bold and confident in public, taking the lead, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Shepard felt herself being lowered down onto the mattress on her side, with one arm still around her. Not that she made any attempts to resist.

"Careful. Grunt and…" She let out a low gasp when Garrus flicked his tongue on the pulse-point of her neck, a sensitive spot she knew Garrus was not above taking advantage of, shorting out her brain and leaving her trying to remember who the hell else was out there.

"Samara." The name finally came to her. "They're just outside the door. Don't know how sound-proof the walls are. Or the floors. Or how trashed everyone is. Could just wait til everyone leaves…" Though that was the last thing she wanted to do.

Garrus propped himself up on an elbow, his free hand caressing up and down her upturned side. "I'm sure we can handle being discreet. We've faced worse."

"Yeah, we have. And maybe…" She felt the mood sour almost immediately, as the dark thought that she had been trying to keep under lock and key since this nightmare of a war started crossed her mind again. "Maybe worse if…we…I…" She didn't even want to think about the possibilities. If she was forced to sacrifice herself to save the many. Or even worse, if she failed.

Garrus presumably realized where she was heading with that train of thought, as he cupped her cheek in his hand. "Hey, come on. That doesn't sound like my girl." He caressed her cheek lightly with the tips of his talons. "You'll find a way to win this thing. And when this is over, I'll be waiting for you."

With Garrus saying that, she could almost believe it without question.

Garrus stroked away the growing tension lines in the center of her forehead. "Don't think about it tonight. Or tomorrow. Or tomorrow night."

Shepard reached up to lay a hand on his neck, pushing it down so his mouth just hovered over hers. "I won't. We're going to live this shore leave up, Vakarian."

His hand moved away from her forehead, slowly, almost tantalizing so, down to the swell of one of her breasts. "I like the way you think, Commander Shepard."

"Jane! Jaaannne!" Shepard didn't bother to hide a groan at hearing a drunken Tali call for her. Tali was like a sister to her, but this was the last thing she wanted to go and do. Hadn't she just gotten Tali to bed not too long ago?

Shepard moved to get up, knowing she'd feel guilty if she didn't try to get Tali back to bed, but Garrus refused to budge.

"Stay. Grunt…" The look on his face a second later was enough of an indication to know Grunt couldn't be trusted for that, even when sober. "_Samara'll _take care of it. She's a responsible adult."

The way his dual-tone lowered to that rumble again, he almost had her wrapped around his talon.

"I really…should check on her." Shepard sounded less certain now. Staying here in his arms seemed like such an enticing option.

"Jane!" Tali's filtered, unsteady voice was closer now. Shepard also heard a quarian curse and something smash to the floor. A few seconds later, she heard Tali call her name again. "Forgot to tell you…what else's on my tattoo!"

"Tattoo?" Garrus mouthed to Shepard. Shepard shot him a look that clearly said "don't ask." She prepared herself to try and get up again, but she was saved by a serene voice belonging to Samara, escorting Tali back to her room.

Shepard slunk back into the mattress. "Remind me to thank Samara in the morning."

"Of course…" Garrus pressed his forehead to hers, a deep purr rising in the back of his throat. "Love of my life."

Oh did he know how to push all the right buttons. Well, two could play at that game.

She craned her neck, lips in easy reach of his scarred mandible. It didn't take much more than a few kisses there, a few light flicks of her tongue on the soft skin underneath only she could reach to have him claim her lips with his, pulling away only when both were breathless.

"My Garrus…my Archangel," she breathed. She really couldn't think of anything better, but one of those must have struck as he pressed his lips to her again, this time with more urgency. She'd have to try and remember to ask which one.

Lost in the sensation of her lips pressed against his plates and of his hand finding its way over to her back, inching towards the hooks of her bra, she disregarded the multiple crashing noises on the floor below them that sounded like pieces of furniture tilting over. And the sound of someone vomiting their guts out at the other end of the hallway outside.

She'd deal with it all in the morning.

Or make one of the others take care of it, depending on how her night went.


End file.
